Pablo Sandoval Activated From DL After Missing Two Weeks

Pablo Sandoval has been activated from the disabled list by the San Francisco Giants. The defending World Series champions have been struggling as of late, but they’re now set to get the “Panda” back in action.

To make room for Sandoval, the Giants sent Nick Noonan to the minors to join their Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, in the Pacific Coast League. In 85 at-bats with the big club, Noonan hit .212 with four runs batted in.

Sandoval has missed the last two weeks of play due to a strained left foot. Before the injury, he was off to a pretty good start in 2013 with a .289 batting average, eight home runs, and 37 RBIs.

Though he hasn’t seen the field as of late, Sandoval is still near the top of the NL All-Star voting for third baseman, He currently trails the New York Mets’ David Wright by less than 200,000 votes.

The San Francisco Giants could use a spark and Pablo Sandoval might have to be their guy. The ball club lost three-of-four games in their last series against the Miami Marlins, who hold the worst record in the National League.

They will now move on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game set on the road. The Dodgers didn’t get off to the best start in 2013, but they’ve picked up the pace as of late with rookie Yasiel Puig becoming a household name in the process.

Sandoval is expected to be back in the lineup tonight as the two teams face-off for the first game of the series. He last played on June 8 against the Arizona Diamondbacks which ended with a 10-5 Giants’ win.

The “Panda” will hope to get right back to where he left of as he had at least one hit in five of his last six games before the injury. Will Pablo Sandoval be the much needed spark the San Francisco Giants need to get back on track in the NL West?

[Image via Flickr | Cathy T]